The next Lord
by Mrs.Knockout
Summary: Screams and fire. Empty streets. Dead bodies. It seems like Cybertron is in the middle of a war again. The current Prime tries to find the one who caused it, to end the wartime once and for all. But who thought, that this war, so much worse than the one before, wasn't caused by his brother?


_**Hiya guys!**_

_**Please understand, that I am not good in keeping stories short and I cutted everything that could be cut, to make it a **_**short _oneshot. This is my first oneshot, so please be nice. _**

**_And have fun!_**

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Lord Sideswipe

"No! No, no, no, no, no! Primus please, everything but that!" the current prime cursed while he ran down one of Iacon's darker streets. The only light was the glow of his optic's and the currently shining moon, which dove everything in an eerie shadow like light. There wasn't any bot who dared to cross his path. Iacon's streets were empty and the silence nearly tortured its leader. When he ran around the next corner, he felt like being haunted again. Like if there was a war again. And as it looked right now, there was another war again. In the distance, he could see flames and from time to time, there were even small explosions. The streets of Cybertron had never been so empty before except of the time, when the Energon problems had conquered and everyone had left the planet in hope of finding other resources.

Then, suddenly, he heard a scream, someone was begging. From what the prime could gather from the high pitched sound, that it was an obviously terrified sparkling.

Within his run, he transformed and sped to where the scream was triggered. Trying to avoid the shots that followed him from behind, he raced around the corner and kept to his speed limit. Though there wasn't any bot that could fire on him, the shots came closer with every second.

Then, a burning building -probably a housing unit- with a little sparkling sitting in front of it, who was trying to wake up its offlined femme creator, appeared. She must have jumped out of the building in a desperate attempt to shield her creation of the flames.

The prime transformed and kneeled down next to her, to see whether he could help her somehow, but her spark had already given up under her cracked armour. The impact had been to strong and the distance to the ground to far. After all, it has been one of the higher buildings in Iacon.

A horrified expression came across the sparkling's face when the prime picked him up.

"There, there young one. Do not worry, I will not harm you."

So there he was, the leader of Cybertron, running down the streets with a crying sparkling in his arms. No Autobot would cross his path, no Decepticon would attack him, and no transformer would come into sight.

After the sparkling had stopped crying, the only noise on the whole planet was the drumming of his feet on the metal and the crackle of the flames.

_Where for Primus sake is everybody?_

Another empty street, another scream, another burning building, another crying sparkling with an offlined femme creator.

The prime was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This was more than just a déjà-vu. It was the same sparkling with the same femme but another building. He did the same as he had done before and ran -now with two sparklings in his arms- down further Iacon's streets. The prime's processors ran down every possibility of what could have caused this, when he heard another high pitched scream. For a second, he played with the thought of just walking into the opposite direction, but leaving a helpless sparkling with her dead femme creator seemed far too cruel to him. So he sped down the streets again, looked whether the femme was still alive -which was not the case- and picked up the third sparkling. Because of the prime's body size, he could easily hold all three of them pressed against his chest with only one arm.

Waiting for the next scream, the prime ran towards the centre of Iacon, but instead of a scream, he heard other heavy footsteps. Running.

By now, the shooting had started again and everything was obscured by smoke, so that it got harder and harder to avoid getting hit.

The sparklings had stopped crying. The prime looked down, to see whether they were still intact. They were, though they were staring into a direction to his right with fear and sorrow in their optics.

The prime stopped and stared into that direction. Exactly from there came the running footsteps. Closer and closer.

Soon they were joined by a heavy breathing and he, suddenly, knew who caused these noises.

Carefully, he sat the three sparklings behind him onto the steps which led up to a housing-unit entrance, which wasn't covered by flames yet, but held a good opportunity to hide because of the smoke.

With a click his guns roared to life and he positioned himself in a defending pose in front of the little group of terrified sparklings.

When his arch enemy sped around the corner, he stopped abruptly at the sight of the prime, but his gaze wandered behind him.

Megatron cocked his head and grinned at the sight of the sparklings.

"My, my. Someone's been working hard."

The prime automatically aimed his guns at Megatron's chest plates.

"These are not mine."

"Then I believe an apology from my side would be appropriate."

A threatening growl escaped from the prime's throat.

"What have you done to Cybertron?"

The dark lord raised an eyebrow and looked slightly surprised.

"Though I know that you assume me to have caused this, Prime, but not even my power-hungry, insane self would destroy what it always strived for to possess. You know me Optimus and it is clearly obvious that I would have preferred enslaving Cybertron's inhabitants, over bringing our planet back to it's very death."

Confused, the prime lowered his weapons.

"Then, if you did not cause this destruction, who is?"

"That is what I am currently trying to find out, but..."

His blade left the polished armour above his right hand.

Protectively, the prime held one hand to cover the sparklings behind him, the other one still transformed into his gun and aimed at Megatron.

"...you are my first priority, Optimus." he finished his sentence, purring the prime's name.

The whimper of the sparklings behind him awoke Optimus' protective instinct and his other hand transformed into his blade.

As in so many of their fights, both ran towards each other, prepared for fighting till each the death.

When their blades crossed, their faces seemed to mirror each other's emotions.

But why should the prime feel like the Decepticon's leader did? Why would their movements mirror, so that none hit the other one. Why would Megatron's blade suddenly mirror his face instead of the primes, when he was the one, facing the blade?

Why his rival would suddenly become himself?

Everything became so surreal. Within one second, all of his surroundings -the sparklings, the buildings, the whole planet- disappeared and was replaced by the city on earth, called mission city, where the prime had fought with Megatron for the first time.

Not only him, but also Megatron -who now looked more like Optimus than himself- looked confused though none of them made an attempt on stopping their fight.

The only thing that could make sure who was who was their optic's colour.

The prime's ones were still from a light blue, while the Decepticon's leader's had kept their blood red tint. But this sight only held on for a single second.

Before the dark lord could keep the fight on, everything around them began to explode once more. Cybertron's buildings -which had suddenly reappeared- we're blowing up around them with all three of the sparklings laying there. Dead. So defenceless. How would the humans describe this sight? Angels. They looked like sleeping angels.

"No! What have you done?" the prime roared at his brother in fury.

"So, they were yours?" Another smile. Another roar. Another crushed spark.

When the prime saw his dead brother and the energon on his right servo, he realized what he just had done. What that actually meant.

"No." he whispered.

Though he had fought, had wished, had prayed for his brother's death, for the death of someone who had caused the loss of so many, the prime somehow felt a deep sadness within him.

So many years next to him, so many years against him. Now, so many years without him.

Why couldn't the prime imagine anything worse, than the loss of his brother, anymore? The most cruel and violent murderer of all?

Megatron's spark may have faded, but his optics still remained in the same bloody red with the same taunting expression within them.

His brother still seemed to mock him.

His optics seemed to say, "So? Did you get what you wanted, Optimus? Did you save the innocents? Did you avoid every harm unless it was absolutely necessary? Did you keep those alive, who weren't meant to join the Allspark? Alright then. I hope you are proud, just like Primes always are."

It has always been horrible to hear his brother talk like that, even when the war hadn't started. And the worst of all. Megatron gave him a message with those words. A message. Only he could understand.

_You abandoned me._

_You caused the war._

_You started it and you could have ended it._

_Diplomatically._

_Your pride wouldn't allow it._

_The Primes and their pride!_

_You are not better than the rest of us._

_You are not better than any Decepticon._

_You are the same cruel, violent and selfish bot as you have always been._

_Just like me, brother._

Without looking down at the four dead bodies again, the prime stalked away and across the streets.

He would not dare to transform his blade back into his arm.

The prime had always known that his brother was right._ Every prime had possessed pride, but none of them had destroyed our world with it. Our home._

The metal-ground reflected the prime's image like a mirror. He looked like his brother.

Silver, polished armour, plasma cannon attached to the right servo, blade covered with Energon below it.

For a perceived eternity, the prime stood there and watched his reflection, when suddenly, the last difference between him and his brother disappeared and his optics went blood red.

Another war had started, and this time, he would not be the leader of the good ones.

_Keep your head up, Prime. Nobody's perfect, but a leader like you, must be! So get up and fight!_

The prime straightened. The little voice deep in his processor was right. He must get up and fight!

Whoever had done this to Cybertron would pay and then the prime would get his planet back to its golden age!

Head held high, the prime strutted towards the very centre of Iacon.

An armada of Insecticons flew above his head and the prime transformed to follow them, by flying.

The very few ones, who recognized the follower, let him take the lead and soon he was the head of an armada of the strongest fighters on the Decepticon side.

They did not seem to realize, that their leader was not the best flyer on Cybertron. The prime found it difficult to stay on course and fly straight.

He began to fear that the Insecticons would notice his problems and so he gave the Insecticons head the order to get to Iacon's centre and headed towards the ground.

Shortly before he could make a crash-landing, he transformed in mid-air into his robot mode which still looked exactly like Megatron himself.

Without any expression on his face, he went on. Slowly following the Insecticons who had already disappeared behind on of Iacon's large buildings.

The prime could remember this part of Iacon very well. A few blocks further, there would be Ratchet's old office, not far away from Wheeljack's lab. He missed the times when it was normal for him to just pay a visit and acting like he was listening to one of Wheeljack's lectures about his new inventions.

But when he came across the street and stood in the middle of a crossing, Wheeljack's lab was engulfed in flames and he could still hear him inside. He didn't scream but he seemed to be trying to preserve his most important inventions from burning up within the flames.

"Wheeljack?" Prime had shouted while he made his way through the burning building and straight into the main laboratory. "Wheeljack, what are you doing?"

His old friend didn't turn around. He still mumbled unintelligible things and grabbed different tools, just to let them disappear in his subspace.

"Wheeljack, we have to get out, the building is about to collapse!"

But the scientist would not listen to him.

So the prime grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to turn him around, but then, Wheeljack started to melt. He did not scream, but his armour simply flew off his body and took his protoform with it.

Appalled, the prime looked at the horrific scenario. His processor would not understand what was happening, so he turned around and ran out of the building. Leaving his dead companion behind.

_Primes don't run!_

He remembered Arcee's words.

_But I am Megatron. And he does._

It was probably the worst excuse ever, but it was true.

Unfortunately, Ratchet's office was nearby and the prime could not afford losing another friend so far.

He had just left Wheeljack's burning lab, when the Decepticon seekers appeared above his head. The prime did not know whether they just did not saw him, or simply wanted to show their abilities, but suddenly, they began to shoot and let bombs hail down.

With one shot per seeker, the Cybertronians leader shot down every one of them with the plasma cannon of their master.

Careful, not to cause any other bad luck, he sneaked into the office of his CMO.

Unfortunately, Ratchet's whole collection of Datapads was already swallowed by the fire.

"Ratchet, are you in here?"

No answer.

The prime began to hope, that his friend was not in his office at all, but he rejoiced too soon.

Ratchet came at him from behind. His scalpel cut deep into the prime's right shoulder.

He hissed in pain and turned around to face his enemy. "Ratchet, what are you doing?" he asked in shock.

"One war was far too much, Megatron!" the CMO hissed back.

Megatron?

It took the prime some time to remind himself that he actually was in the dark lord's body.

Right now, he had no idea how to explain his friend that he was not the one he appeared to be.

So he simply shut off his weapon system and held his hands above his head in a human gesture.

Ratchet did not acknowledge the dark lords strange surrender and continued attacking him, so that the enemy would have to fight back or retreat.

The former CMO had not expected him to just stand there and take it all without a word, but why would he care about Megatron's doings?

Suddenly, the prime grabbed Ratchet by the hands and said slowly "I am not who I look like, old friend. It is me, Optimus."

Though his body may have changed, his voice had still kept its tone.

Ratchet stopped struggling under my tight grip, so the prime carefully let go.

"Optimus?" he whispered incredulously.

The prime just nodded and stepped back.

"We have to get out of here; otherwise we are not going to survive."

Ratchet nodded understandingly and let the prime take the lead.

Both of them ended up in running down Iacon's streets, trying to flee from the explosions and gunshots. Most of Iacon's buildings where burning and different from before was, that now Iacon's streets were filled.

Filled with femmes and mechs trying to get out alive and save their creations. Filled with wreckers, trying to save the situation although the area was not even evacuated.

Suddenly, Optimus realized that no one seemed to be terrified by his presence. When he stared down into his reflexion on the metal, he noticed that he had his old body again, though his optics has remained a deep shade of crimson.

Within the crowd, which was running away from Iacon's centre, he had lost Ratchet, but he did not have the time to search for his CMO. He had to find the one causing this and stop him!

He fought his way through the crowds and suddenly saw what they were all running from.

The ground was drenched in energon and different parts of small bodies laid within it.

Sparklings. So many dead sparklings and their creators. It was the most terrible sight he had ever seen. And there, on a podium, stood the transformer who had caused all this.

The prime could not see his face, because his back was turned on him and he wore a light purple cape and a golden crown with big red gems. The crown of the Decepticon's leader!

A shocked gasp escaped the prime when the new Decepticon's lord turned around.

"Oh, hey! Look Prime! I'm ruling the universe! Woohoo!" the red bot cheered.

"Sideswipe? Noooooooooooooooo!"

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"Noooooooooooooooo!"

Optimus Prime woke up with a scream. This has been his worst nightmare ever! It had felt so real.

Suddenly, Sideswipe appeared right in front of his leaders face.

"Oh, hey! Prime. You'll never guess what I dreamed of!"

And with a final sigh, the prime fell back and passed out.

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**_ Please understand that it is nearly impossible to understand what is going on. It's a nightmare (No Nightmare really makes sense, does it?) and I thought if Prime had nightmares too, what'd they look like? And I came up with the war and SIDESWIPE! XD_**

**_Please R&R._**

**_Reviews are some of the best things in the world and readers are some of the best people :)_**


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